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Community Teamwork Launches Needs Assessment Survey ~ Available online/in print through February 2020

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By NICOLE DEFEUDIS | ndefeudis@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun

PUBLISHED: January 5, 2020 at 3:09 pm | UPDATED: January 5, 2020 at 3:13 pm

LOWELL — Starting Tuesday, Community Teamwork will once again collect responses from those in Lowell and neighboring towns on issues surrounding poverty.

The community action agency conducts a Community Needs Assessment every three years to guide its programs and services. The last survey, conducted in 2018, spurred two summits and a city task force to address youth homelessness.

This year, CTI hopes to more than triple participation in the survey.

“We have the resources to respond to the needs (of the communities), but we need to know what they are,” CTI Director of Development and Marketing Kathleen Plath said.

Most questions are multiple choice, with the exception of one open-ended response. Community members can submit the survey anonymously, Plath said.

After collecting responses, CTI will compile and analyze the data to form a Community Assessment Report and Strategic Plan, which will be published and released to the public.

“We really use this as a way to really engage the whole community and share what we’re seeing as some of the needs,” Plath said.

CTI will collect responses from those in Lowell, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford.

The agency hopes to achieve as much diversity as possible in the responses, Plath explained. The survey can be accessed online in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Print versions are available in each of those languages, as well as Khmer.

Grants Coordinator Miranda Allan urges those from all participating communities to take the survey.

“What poverty looks like Lowell might be really different to what it look like in Westford, for example,” she said.

Those who complete the survey have the option to enter a raffle for a $100 Visa gift card.

“It’s important at this stage of the game that we get as much feedback … as possible,” Plath said.

The survey can be found at commteam.org. CTI will also disperse print versions to local libraries and municipal buildings.

Organizations that wish to receive print copies can contact Miranda Allan at MAllan@commteam.org.

 

https://www.lowellsun.com/2020/01/05/community-teamwork-launches-needs-assessment-survey

 

 

 

 

 Congresswoman Lori Trahan Announces $1.4 Million Federal Grant for Lowell Community Teamwork Inc.’s YouthBuild program

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 LOWELL, MA – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) announced a $1,440,000 federal grant for Lowell Community Teamwork Inc.’s YouthBuild program.

The grant will support programs that help young people learn occupational skills in construction, health care, information technology, and hospitality. YouthBuild participants assist with building or rehabilitating affordable housing in their communities while receiving educational support and training as they complete their high school degrees or equivalent.

“Since 1999, Community Teamwork has been helping at-risk youth train for careers that will provide them with a lifetime of success. Through their volunteer work in the community, these students receive quality apprenticeships and learn entrepreneurship skills that will empower them to support themselves and their families,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “This funding represents a solid investment in our youth and their families, our workforce, and our regional economy. As a Member of Congress, I will continue to fight for important investments like this.”

“We are thrilled to have again received the Department of Labor’s YouthBuild Grant and are thankful to Congresswoman Trahan’s continued support of this important program,” Community Teamwork’s CEO Karen Frederick said. “This funding will allow us to continue YouthBuild’s mission, which provides vital tools and skills to help our young people become successful in our community, by helping them reach their education and career goals.  We have seen firsthand how YouthBuild helps to transform and advance young people’s lives and are grateful to be able to continue this work.”

Community Teamwork Inc. currently provides training in construction and culinary arts to 34 young people but will be able to expand thanks to this funding. The program has a waitlist of about 40 youth.

More information about the federal YouthBuild program is available at DOL’s website here.

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December 19, 2019
Contact: Mark McDevitt, (610) 463-4827

Congresswoman Lori Trahan Announces $1.4 Million Federal Grant for Lowell Community Teamwork Inc.’s YouthBuild program

 

 

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Lowell Collaboration continues to fight against youth homelessness

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City officials gathered to discuss helping young adults without homes

 

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Lowell Public Schools Superintendent Joel Boyd speaks at the second Community Summit to End Youth Homelessness.

 

By  | ndefeudis@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun
PUBLISHED:  | UPDATED: 

LOWELL — More than 150 city officials, non-profit leaders and educators gathered at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center Monday to continue their assault on a troubling issue: Youth homelessness.

“We’re growing and we know we really wanted to set a stage for what the next 12 months are going to bring,” said Carl Howell, Community Teamwork division director for housing and homeless services.

So far this year, 124 young people have accessed CTI’s supportive services — and that number continues to grow, CTI Director of Youth Services Amanda Mallardo said. But it’s hard to tell just how many young people in the city are struggling with homelessness, she said. Some kids may couch surf, or sleep in cars, she explained.

Last year, CTI held the first summit to create a plan and establish momentum to address youth homelessness. Now, the nonprofit has five programs to support young adults struggling with homelessness, and is looking to expand, Howell said.

Mayor William Samaras, Senator Ed Kennedy, City Manager Eileen Donoghue and Lowell Public Schools Superintendent Joel Boyd were among other speakers at the event.

Donoghue said the city formed a task force earlier this year, focused primarily on single adult homelessness. One of the task force’s recommendations, she said, is shifting to a housing first plan, in which homeless individuals are provided a place to live first, along with other supportive services that continue over time.

“I think with youth what appears to happen is sometimes those individuals and kids are below the radar,” Donoghue said. “I think we need to do a better job of outreach…” she said, to serve teens who may be couch surfing, or living in temporary housing situations.

“The City Council fully supports the efforts and recommendations of the task force. We are grateful to Karen Frederick and Community Teamwork for bringing this issue to the forefront and providing quality services to address it… We must bring hope to these young adults at risk because hope really does matters,” Donoghue said in the release.

“CTI is especially thankful for the partnerships established with the educational partners in the community: Lowell High School, Middlesex Community College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This collaboration has secured housing supports for students that allow them to focus on their
education and not on where they will sleep that night,” said CTI CEO Karen Frederick in the release.

“I think it’s important to really just bring back the focus on what we’re doing, that these resources exist. It also provides a platform for the youth, the young adults, to share their experiences,” Howell said of the summit.

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Nicole DeFeudis

Nicole DeFeudis covers early morning news and general assignment stories. She graduated from UMass Amherst in May 2019, where she studied journalism and information technology. The Worcester native enjoys road trips and hiking.

 

 

 

Lowell collaboration continues fight against youth homelessness

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CTI/Aramark and Lowell Public Schools provide fresh food to needy families

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The duo will host monthly food pantries and after-school lessons

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(From left) Community Teamwork Inc. Site Coordinator Keryn Shannon, Family Service Worker Billy Ma, Assistant Director Kimberley Balch
By  | ndefeudis@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun
PUBLISHED:  | UPDATED: 

LOWELL — Community Teamwork Inc. of Lowell has teamed up with national food service provider Aramark and Lowell Public Schools to provide fresh produce monthly to Lowell families in need at a STEM Academy-based food pantry.

For the last five years, the food service company has helped supply around 40 pounds of food per family at the school’s food pantry, according to Aramark Director of Food and Nutrition at Lowell Public Schools Sharon Lagasse.

As part of the collaboration, CTI YouthBuild members, ages 16 to 24, will help set up and run the pantry, which functions much like a farmer’s market. In addition, Aramark will provide nutritional and educational lessons to CTI after-school programs.

The goal, according to a CTI news release, is to teach students to make healthy, seasonal food choices, support local agriculture.

Aramark and CTI kicked off the after-school lessons Sept. 17, on Aramark Building Community Day. The group made peach salsa from scratch, with tomatoes from Mill City Grows.

“We make cooking and playing with food and learning about food,” Lagasse said.

The food pantry is open to anyone in the community, Lagasse said. And many of the pantry’s options are healthy, or locally grown.

“Being able to have an access to fresh and nutritious food is really important,”  CTI Grants Manager and Planning Amy Weatherbee said. Most of the food comes from the Greater Boston Food Bank.

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Kronos grant bolsters CTI YouthBuild

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LOWELL — Kronos employees have awarded Community Teamwork Inc. with a $20,060 GiveInspired grant that will help YouthBuild students learn how to manage their money and address transportation barriers to employment — two key pieces in attaining independence and self-sufficiency.

Thanks to the grant, YouthBuild participants will receive financial literacy training and one-on-one coaching sessions on budgeting, saving and credit from FDIC-certified financial specialists. It will also help fund a pilot program to help up to eight students obtain their driver’s licenses by assisting them with the costs associated with driver education, permits and Registry of Motor Vehicles fees.

At the grant presentation, held Aug. 23 at the Lowell Farmers Market at Lucy Larcom Park, YouthBuild Program Director Siobhan Sheehan thanked the Kronos representatives for understanding “that to get to a job, you need to drive there, to be successful, you need financial literacy.”

“Ladies, I can’t thank you enough,” Sheehan said to the members of the Kronos GiveInspired Committee. “This means so much to us. You are breaking barriers and you’re helping us end poverty by starting right here, right now, with this.”

Representatives of Community Teamwork Inc., Kronos, CTI YouthBuild participants and city officials pose with the check for the $20,060 Kronos GiveInspired grant presented to CTI to support its YouthBuild program at the Lowell Farmers Market at Lucy Larcom Park on Aug. 23. (Courtesy photo)

Kronos GiveInspired Chairwoman Sarah Sheehy said CTI representatives had to apply for the grant, do a presentation and be approved by a scorecard ranking and vote.

“The passion of this organization just shone through and was contagious, and they really fit in with our charter of empowering and inspiring the next generation workforce,” Sheehy said. “So great fit, great partnership. We look forward to continuing to partner with you.”

YouthBuild serves low-income young adults ages 16-24 who dropped out of school, live in Lowell and surrounding towns and are ready for a second chance for educational and vocational training. The program provides participants with High School Equivalency Test preparation, vocational training in construction or culinary trades, one-on-one case management, leadership development, life-skills training and career and academic coaching.

Carl Howell, CTI division director of housing and homeless services, said the grant will give YouthBuild students the skills to be fiscally responsible once employed and help them develop economic plans for their future. He said the assistance with getting driver’s licenses is also key.

“Getting a job means nothing if you are unable to get to work. With driver’s education costs increasing, our students don’t have the upfront money it takes to enroll into a driver’s ed class,” Howell said. “These funds from Kronos help bridge that gap and allow our students to expand their search and opportunities to become gainfully employed.”

 

Kronos grant bolsters CTI YouthBuild

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Local NonProfits Bring Books to Four Lowell Family Shelters

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 Local nonprofits bring books to Lowell family shelters

Greater Lowell Community Foundation funds placing more than 500 books in four shelters

Ribbon cutting for bookcase full of books for kids at Milly’s Place, a partnership between Greater Lowell Community Foundation, On the Move, Inc., and CTI’s YouthBuild. CTI CEO Karen Frederick chats with resident Aniyahlis Luna, 9, who thought Frederick looked like a teacher. (SUN/Julia Malakie)

By NICOLE DEFEUDIS | ndefeudis@lowellsun.com | Lowell Sun

PUBLISHED: August 14, 2019 at 11:00 am | UPDATED: August 14, 2019 at 11:08 am

LOWELL — This month, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation and local nonprofits placed more than 500 books at four Lowell family shelters.

“By working collaboratively with our community partners, we were able to put books into the hands of children who are at-risk of being left behind,” said Greater Lowell Community Foundation President and CEO Jay Linnehan in a news release.

The reading resources, which opened Aug. 4, are stocked with books from the Lowell Public Schools summer reading recommendation list. Methuen-based nonprofit On the Move Inc. supplied the books with funding from the GLCF. CTI YouthBuild, of Lowell, contributed the bookcases, and Community Teamwork, also of Lowell, provided resource site selection and management, according to the news release.

“Education is the great equalizer and providing books to children in Lowell family shelters opens the doors of opportunity,” Linnehan said in the release.

Children can keep the books they select, and more will be supplied as necessary. The resources are expected to serve 150 kids per year, according to GLCF Vice President of Marketing and Programs Jennifer Aradhya.

“We are grateful for the kindness of GLCF, On the Move, Inc. and our own YouthBuild students, for making these books available to the children in our shelters. It will keep their reading skills sharp and open new worlds to them,” CTI CEO Karen Frederick said in the news release.

 

Local nonprofits bring books to Lowell family shelters

Building community For Youths Without Homes

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Organizers say it will provide low-barrier services to homeless — or at-risk of becoming homeless — youth between 16 and 24 years old. http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_32722606
Community Teamwork, Inc.

Wednesday, 10 July 2019

BUILDING COMMUNITY FOR YOUTHS WITHOUT HOMES

By Elizabeth Dobbins

edobbins@ lowellsun. com

LOWELL » A shower. A washer. A dryer. Services. And, hopefully, community.

That’s what Community Teamwork, Inc., or CTI, hopes to offer at Mill You, a center opening on the first floor of 167 Dutton Street. Organizers say it will provide low- barrier services to homeless — or at- risk of becoming homeless — youth between 16 and 24 years old.

“A lot of times for young people they struggle to connect with other community resources or identify providers that they trust,” said Amanda Mallardo, CTI director of youth services. “ It’s hard for them to go to appointments, or take the steps necessary. … This space gives them the opportunity to have a safe environment.”

Mill You is expected to open as early as the September. Currently, CTI is renovating the space on Dutton Street using a $ 250,000 grant from the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation.

The sum covers a portion of the building’s ongoing $ 699,000 renovation. The building, called the Youth Opportunity Center, already has classrooms and a workshop for teaching construction skills to youth. In addition to Mill You, the organization hopes to add a kitchen for teaching culinary skills, install more offices on the third floor and upgrade the elevator.

Carl Howell, CTI division director of housing and homeless residential programs, said the concept for Mill You developed during a youth homelessness summit last year.

“ We’ve really uncovered that it’s not just homelessness,” he said.“ There’s a lot of other services that are needed for youth in the city.”

The space will provide a place for youth to connect with others in similar circumstances, taking the isolation out situations facing many in the community, Mallardo said. It will also be a way to connect teens and young adults to financial education, housing, food, family mediation, and mental health and substance use services, according to Howell and Mallardo. Some services will be provided through CTI, others will be through other organizations in the city.

Community Teamwork Inc. Director of Youth Services Amanda Mallardo and Division Director for Housing & Homeless Services Carl Howell stand in the space in CTI’s Dutton Street building that will become Mill You.

“ We want to make sure we’re stabilizing these young people so they can transition out of here and have those supports long term,” Mallardo said.

She said CTI is consulting with youth to see what they need and determine specifics, like Mill You’s hours. The space will not be used overnight for housing.

A count of the city’s homeless population conducted this summer by the city found about 75 homeless individuals in the city, according to Kathleen Plath, CTI’s director of development and marketing. Half are under the age of 34.

This school year, a count of homeless students by Lowell Public Schools — which uses a broader definition of homelessness such as students in shelters or sharing housing “due to economic hardship” — found 825 homeless students, or about 5 percent of the district’s population.

Howell said counts may vary, but youth homelessness in on the rise.

Earlier this year, City Manager Eileen Donoghue started a task force to address homelessness in the city. The focus of that program is more on single adults over 24- years- old, but CTI is collaborating on the initiative, according to Howell.

“ I think one of the strong connections will be really linking Amanda’s team ( at CTI) to the Lowell Transitional Living Center to really help provide a youth- focused support to that population and to get them off the streets,” he said. Follow Elizabeth Dobbins on Twitter @ ElizDobbins

PHOTOS BY JULIA MALAKIE / LOWELL SUN

CTI’s Division Director for Housing & Homeless Services Carl Howell, in space that will be a laundry, showers and toilets, as part of Mill You, a new center that will soon open up to help homeless youth.

GLCF, CTI and Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Partner in Drug Court Transportation Project

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GLCF, CTI and Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Partner in Drug Court Transportation Project

Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI) receives $10,000 Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) Grant

Lowell, March 13, 2019 – Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI), Greater Lowell Community Foundation and
the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office are announcing a first-of-its kind partnership to provide
transportation to individuals to and from Drug Court. Last year CTI received a $10,000 grant from
the Greater Lowell Community Foundation to help start the pilot program, which kicked off in
October, and is currently providing services three women who are being picked up from a Lynn Sober
House and transported to their court appearances. The goal is to accommodate up to 13 individuals
each week.

“This partnership with the office of District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, Community Teamwork and the
Drug Court is the capstone of a multi-year commitment to fund programs for opioid prevention and
treatment in our area and help ensure success for participants. In response to the opioid epidemic,
the Community Foundation has awarded more than $160,000 in discretionary funds to support local
nonprofits,” said Greater Lowell Community Foundation President and CEO Jay Linnehan.

“By providing this transportation option we are filling a service gap that was prohibiting some
individuals from easily accessing the courts, which is essential to successful completion of drug
court,” said District Attorney Ryan. “We continue to work with the courts and our community
partners to ensure the criminal justice system is not just punitive. To do this we need to think
outside the box to come up with innovative solutions that will hopefully lead to a successful
outcome and ultimately interrupt the often cyclical effects of substance use disorders.”

The Drug Court is a special session within Massachusetts district courts where judges, prosecutors,
defense attorneys, probation officers, police and social-service workers team up to work with
defendants on probation whose crimes were motivated by substance abuse. Many defendants are placed
where treatment beds are available, which can be

located in Sober Houses far from their community and the Drug Court. These defendants risk
violating probation because they are unable to secure transportation to attend their trial. In
addition, various modes of transportation, such as public transportation and taxis can be cost
prohibitive and often defendants can find themselves back in the neighborhoods and streets where
drugs are being sold.

Community Teamwork recognized that its Transportation Department, which brings children to and from
school, had flexibility to use drivers and vehicles during the school day to respond to other
community needs. With funding from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, CTI is deploying
drivers and vehicles to fill this need. GLCF provided a $10,000 grant to support the cost of a
driver and van for Community Teamwork to facilitate this innovative approach to assist the Drug
Court and its clients. Together, CTI, GLCF and the Drug Court probation officers developed a
framework for what the program might look like as well as a strict Code of Conduct which the
participants would have to follow in order to receive the benefit of this program.

“Most often, these defendants are in need of other basic services which CTI can provide, such as
housing, financial literacy, child care, etc. Through this pilot program, which can send employees
from CTI to work with the probation officials and social workers, we are able to identify the
various resources available to the defendants. We could not have taken this novel approach without
the help of this grant from GLCF,” stated Meghan Siembor, Director of Child and Family Services.

About Community Teamwork

Community Teamwork is a catalyst for social change. Our driving mission is to help people help
themselves with child care, family supports, nutrition, fuel assistance, housing, skills training,
employment, financial education, and individual asset and small business development. As a
Community Action Agency, a Regional Housing Agency, and a Community Development Corporation,
Community Teamwork helps nearly 50,000 individuals from 63 cities and towns in northeastern
Massachusetts gain greater economic independence.

About the Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350
funds, currently totaling over $35MM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20
neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to
hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students, and is powered by the winning combination of
donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local
needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled the

Community Foundation to award more than $13 million to the Greater Lowell Community since 1999.

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Program Contact: Meghan Siembor – Division Director, Child and Family Services 978-654-7130,  msiembor@commteam.org

Media Contacts: Julia Ripa – jripa@commteam.org, communications@commteam.org,  978-654-5628  OR Meghan Kelly,  781-897-8325, Meghan.Kelly@state.ma.us

Fantastic article in the Lowell Sun (3/29/19) by Rick Sobey about how the Middlesex DA Marian Ryan GLCFoundation and CTI are partnering to help drug-court defendants go to their hearings – They are using CTI buses during the time of day when they are not in use! BIG return for a very small investment!
http://ow.ly/YkzP30ofBGZ

D.B.’s Story

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Secure Jobs Success Story

D.B. came to Secure Jobs program as a referral from the Resource Center here at CTI. He relocated to Lowell, MA from Detroit, MI because he felt he needed a drastic change in his life. He expressed feelings of being burned out from his time working for the Corrections Dept. in his home state. D.B. is living at the Lowell Transitional Living Shelter where he was advised to visit CTI for further assistance. D.B. was quickly referred to the SJ program and enrolled on 10/18/18. We began to work on updating his resume and developing a cover letter. We taught him how to modify these documents, using specific job postings, to reflect the desired position. D.B. worked hard on his job search every day until he landed a full time position, with full benefits, at Securitas (a security company). Although the position pays just $14.00/hr. it will earn him enough money to move out of shelter, with the help of our RAFT program, and a place of his own. D.B. will continue to participate in the program until he acquires a position with a company in the field of his choice, Human Services. But for now, he is proud to have found a job and will soon be able to leave shelter and live on his own.

More about Community Teamwork’s Secure Job Program

Gainful employment is critical to a family’s ability to maintain housing stability.  The Secure Jobs program helps people achieve the long term objective of self-sufficiency and permanent housing.  Since its inception, the program has helped more than 1oo people with the steps needed to secure long-term employment.

The Secure Jobs Initiative was established in 2013  as a pilot program in partnership with the Fireman Foundation with funding through the Housing Stabilization and Preservation Trust Fund.   Other partners in launching this program include the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) and Eastern Bank.  This initiative provides job readiness skills training, eliminates barriers to employment and connects families with suitable employers in jobs with defined career paths.  The program provides job training, job search services and a year of  stabilization services for participants.

In addition to providing clients with personalized employment services, our Secure Jobs staff works with the client to remove barriers to success by linking participants with childcare resources, transportation to and from training programs, helping navigate options for people who have challenges with CORIs, and providing skills training, job readiness training, and job search services.

For more information or to schedule an appointment please contact the Financial Education (FEC) Office, 978.654.5673. Located at 165 Merrimack Street Lowell MA  01852.

Tonya’s Story

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Tonya’s Story

The Family Self- Sufficiency Program (FSS) is designed to help families receiving rental assistance to become self-supporting. This is a voluntary program and is open to all families receiving a housing subsidy such as Section 8. Community Teamwork’s Family Self-Sufficiency program has empowered many graduates to achieve their goals and Tonya is one such successful graduate.

Tonya graduated FSS on December 31, 2018 with $3109 in escrow. Over the years she took an additional $5482 in interim disbursements to pay for her college tuition, thereby totaling $8591 in FSS escrow disbursements. Tonya earned her associate’s degree in Nursing from Laboure College on December 17, 2018, and was hired as a full time Registered Nurse on December 2, 2018. Upon graduating FSS, Tonya immediately set herself on the path to asset development by choosing her new goals: Starting a savings account for a down payment on a home, starting a 401K at her new job, taking a first time home owner’s class, and improving her credit.

Tonya credits here success with the help and guidance she received from the Family Self-Sufficiency Program.

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